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This Extremely Rare 555.55-Carat Black Diamond Is Coming Up for Auction

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world.

Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond — believed to have come from outer space — “The Enigma.” The rare gem was shown off on Monday to journalists as part of a tour in Dubai and Los Angeles before it is due to be auctioned off in February in London.

Sotheby’s expects the diamond to be sold for at least 5 million British pounds ($6.8 million). It is also possible to pay cryptocurrency.
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Sophie Stevens, a jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, told The Associated Press that the number five bears an importance significance to the diamond, which has 55 facets as well.

Dubai Sotheby's Black Diamond
AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili Pictured on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, an employee of Sotheby’s Dubai holds the 555.55-carat black diamond known as “The Enigma,” to be auctioned in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“The shape of the diamond is based on the Middle-Eastern palm symbol of the Khamsa, which stands for strength and it stands for protection,” she said. Khamsa means five in Arabic.

“So there’s a nice theme of the number five running throughout the diamond,” she added.

Stevens stated that the black diamond could also be from outer space.

“With the carbonado diamonds, we believe that they were formed through extraterrestrial origins, with meteorites colliding with the Earth and either forming chemical vapor disposition or indeed coming from the meteorites themselves,” she said.

Carbonado or black diamonds are very rare and can only be found in Brazil and Central Africa. Their high carbon content and high hydrogen contents are the basis of cosmic origin theories.

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